A middle school teacher is suspended for sharing opinions on Charlie Kirk’s death, sparking parent outrage.
HOPKINS, Mich. — A middle school teacher at Hopkins Public Schools is suspended after parents said she shared her opinion in class following the death of conservative commentator Charlie Kirk last week.
One parent said the teacher’s comments were disturbing. 13 ON YOUR SIDE spoke with that parent, who asked us not to share her name, saying she feared for her family’s safety if she’s publicly identified.
“It’s concerning. It’s hurtful, it’s just taking away such a safe space for these students,” said the middle school mother.
The mother said she was stunned when she opened the email from the district last week regarding the situation.
The email message read in part “…we are aware of recent concerns regarding alleged statements made by a member of our middle school staff. Please be assured that we are taking this matter seriously and are committed to ensuring a safe and respectful environment for all students and staff.”
“My initial reaction when I saw that email was anger. You know, you send your child to school and you expect a level of professionalism,” said the parent.
“To hear that children were exposed to such hateful, vile words, it was very concerning,” she said.
The mother learned the comments directed towards Kirk were made in a seventh-grade English class.
“The English teacher made the comment that Charlie Kirk deserved to die. She was happy about it, and she also stated that he was going to burn in hell,” said the parent.
In a follow-up email a few days later to seventh-grade parents, the district said this:
“Last weekend there was a communication sent to HPS families regarding an ongoing investigation into unprofessional comments. While it was found there were unprofessional comments made about personal beliefs from a staff member, there were no comments made that encouraged or supported the use of violence towards anyone for their beliefs. In fact, the investigation suggests Mrs. Ruegsegger denounced violence and murder in all situations at the beginning of this conversation.
Our district has a policy in place that we must follow when it comes to discipline for students as well as staff. Part of the policy includes progressive consequences, but it also includes protections for privacy. These policies are more than just bureaucratic red tape and are in place so that anyone in our district has a chance to make corrections and learn from mistakes.
7th Grade English will move forward with a substitute teacher for a while, but Mrs. Ruegsegger will be back. You may have noticed a communication from Mrs. Ruegsegger this morning. This message was previously scheduled to go out two weeks ago but due to a PowerSchool error sent this morning instead. There should be no other communications directly from Mrs. Ruegsegger during this time of separation. Please reach out to me if you have questions or concerns.”
Even though the parent’s child was not in the classroom, the mother said allowing the teacher back would be unacceptable.
“I would remove my child from that school if she were allowed to be back in the classroom. Those words do not have any permission to be in the classroom, especially around our youth,” she said.
13 ON YOUR SIDE went to the Hopkins administration building to speak with the superintendent, but staff there said they had no comment at this time.
Thursday afternoon, the district sent an email to families saying the district is following its progressive discipline policy and will develop a structured plan for the teacher’s return.
For now, seventh grade English will continue with a substitute teacher.